The present invention relates to permanent disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear reactors, particularly radioactive wastes from primary coolant fluid systems and steam generator blowdown sludge.
In the operation of nuclear power plants, radioactive particulate waste develops in the primary coolant fluid and in the sludge produced during steam generator blowdown. In the latter case, primary-to-secondary leakage in the steam generator requires that the blowdown sludge be treated as radioactive waste.
All radioactive waste from a nuclear reactor must be processed for disposal in a manner which minimizes the exposure of operating personnel to radiation. The conventional filter cartridges utilized in the auxiliary systems of a nuclear power plant have been found to be difficult to handle and to create a significant radiation exposure hazard for the maintenance personnel. To help alleviate this hazard, replacement of conventional removable cartridge filters with backflushable filters has been proposed. Backflushable filters, however, while convenient, serve only as temporary collection and holding devices. Final removal of the radioactive particulate waste, or "crud", requires backflushing of these filters to convey the waste to a suitable disposal plant for packaging and burial.